


Blame It On The Rain

by destihellion



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Car Accidents, First Dates, First Kiss, First Meetings, Lawyer Castiel, M/M, Tattoo Artist Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 05:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5193599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destihellion/pseuds/destihellion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of all the wonderful things he could be doing on his first weekend off in months, Dean instead finds himself stuck in traffic in the slow lane of I-70, rain pouring down so hard he can barely see out of his windshield, and to top it all off he’s running late for a first date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blame It On The Rain

“Fuck!”

Dean Winchester slams on his brakes for the fifth— no wait, _sixth_ time in five minutes, all to avoid hitting the car in front of him. The idiot in the blue Prius has been driving him crazy for the past eight miles, speeding up every time traffic starts moving only to then slam their brakes at the very last second when it stops. In turn, Dean has to slam _his_ brakes every time so he doesn’t rear-end them.

To be frank, he’s pissed. Of all the wonderful things he could be doing on his first weekend off in months, Dean instead finds himself stuck in traffic in the slow lane of I-70, rain pouring down so hard he can barely see out of his windshield, and to top it all off he’s running late for a first date.

This is all Sam’s fault, really. His little brother had been so adamant that Dean should start dating again, saying things like, “I’m worried about you, Dean,” or “You’re almost 35, Dean. Go out and find someone before you get too old and nobody wants you.”

Always the encourager, Sam is.

Dean supposes it worked though, because here he is with his hair styled to a T, wearing a fitted navy suit with a white dress shirt—sans tie so he could keep a few of the buttons open— and he even polished his black dress shoes. He’s going on a blind date at some upscale restaurant in Kansas City, and to be honest, he’s nervous as hell about it. Rich and fancy places aren’t his style, even though he makes a pretty penny owning, as the headlines read, “The Best Tattoo Parlor in Kansas.” Winchester’s Ink (clever, right?) has brought Dean more money than he ever thought a single tattoo parlor could. That doesn’t mean he goes out to places like this though. He’s a tattoo artist, for Christ sake.

That’s another reason why Dean was (is) hesitant about this. All he knows about this _Castiel_ guy, other than the fact that the guy has a terrible name, is that the man is a lawyer and he’s apparently “too hot for words,” as Charlie says. Charlie is Dean’s best friend, and also the one that put this together, claiming that her boss and Dean would be perfect together. Dean just thinks she did it so she can play out one of those little stories she writes.

But between Sam nagging him to date and Charlie shoving her boss down his throat, Dean decided to knock out two birds with one stone. This way, even if things don’t work out—which Dean doesn’t see how they can—Sam can’t say he hasn’t tried to date and Charlie will shut up about this Castiel guy.

The blue Prius slams their brakes again, and Dean narrowly avoids hitting them this time.

“You’re not gonna get where you’re going any faster, asshole!”

Dean checks his watch for what seems to be the 200th time, and _shit_ , he has to be at the restaurant in fifteen minutes. He still has to get through five more miles of traffic to his exit, navigate through the city to the restaurant, and then find a place to park his car because he sure as hell isn’t using valet service and letting a stranger drive his baby. Dean groans and rests his forehead against the steering wheel. _This is all Sam’s fault._

His phone starts ringing just as traffic starts moving again, and Dean groans once more and lifts up so he can dig it out of his back pocket. It’s probably Charlie, calling him and asking where he’s at. He still has ten minutes to get there, but if this guy is a lawyer he’s probably prompt as fuck, and Dean doesn’t doubt he’s contacted Charlie and told her he wasn’t there yet.

When he glances at his phone, however, the display screen says ‘Castiel Novak’, and it’s like a million little butterflies get released in Dean’s stomach. Charlie’s the one that gave him Castiel’s number in the first place, just in case he needed it for whatever reason, though Dean wasn’t aware that she gave Castiel his number too. But what the hell? Why is he acting like a high school girl going out on her first date? He’s a grown man with experience. He’s not going to get nervous over damn phone call.

Dean goes to swipe his thumb across the screen to answer the call, but the moment he turns his focus back up on the road his stomach plummets for an entirely different reason. The Prius in front of him has hit their brakes at the last second, _again_ , but Dean is too late this time. Throwing his phone, Dean grabs the steering wheel with both hands and though he knows it’s pointless, he slams his foot down on the brakes anyway. The Prius gets no warning before Dean’s Impala plows into the back of it with a sickening crunch of metal, and the smaller car jolts forward with the impact and swerves into the emergency lane. There’s a sound of squealing tires coming from somewhere behind him, and Dean closes his eyes and braces himself to be hit by the car following him.

 The second impact never comes, and though Dean breathes a short sigh of relief, he never opens his eyes. His adrenaline is pumping and he’s aware that he’s got a death grip on his steering wheel, but he can’t seem to make himself let go.

He was just in a car accident.

_Holy shit._

Dean comes back to his senses enough to realize he’s still in the middle of the road, so he forces himself to open his eyes and moves his car as far into the emergency lane as he can. As soon as he does—ignoring the scrape of metal he hears which is no doubt his front bumper dragging—he shuts off the engine and closes his eyes again.

He doesn’t know how long he sits there, tense and listening to the rain beating down around him, but the next thing he knows there’s a loud knocking on his driver’s side window causing him to jump. He opens his eyes and turns to the knocking, but from there his mind kind of blanks, because that is the _prettiest_ man he’s ever seen standing outside his door.

The man’s face is shadowed by a pea coat he has thrown over his head to keep from getting drenched in the rain, but there’s no mistaking how blue his eyes are or how cut his stubbled jawline is. From what Dean can see through the rain, the man is wearing a sharp fitted black suit with a skinny blue tie, and _oh_ he’s getting closer to the window. Oh wait, _wait_ , he’s talking.

“Sir, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Dean can barely hear him through the sound of the rain hitting his car, but the man sounds panicked. He looks over at the blue Prius and realizes that the driver isn’t inside the car, which means the pretty man standing outside must be the idiot that’s been slamming on his breaks for the past 8 miles. Dean groans internally. Now he’s gotta yell at the pretty man, which is the exact opposite of what he wants to do.

Dean grabs his umbrella out of the back seat of the Impala and lets out a frustrated noise as he throws his door open, causing the man to jump back to avoid being smacked in the face. Dean’s not a big enough asshole to let the guy just stand there getting soaked, so when he gets out and opens the umbrella, he steps into the guy’s personal space so they’re both covered. It’s a huge umbrella, so they’re not chest to chest or anything, but they’re close enough that when the man moves the jacket off his head Dean gets a whiff of his cologne.

The man groans and turns to look at the damage to their cars, and Dean is busy admiring the guy’s dark head of styled sex-hair when he speaks.

“I am so sorry about this. I know it was my fault and—”

“You think?” Dean cuts him off.

He can feel the adrenaline wearing off, and it’s slowly being replaced by anger. He doesn’t care how hot this guy is; his baby’s bumper is dragging the ground and her grill is completely bent out of shape because of _him_. Dean gets a sick satisfaction out of seeing that the Prius has way more damage, and he has the urge to go over to his car and give her a pat on the hood.

The man turns his blue eyes back on him and they’re wide with regret. “My insurance will cover everything, I swear. I was distracted for a moment—”

“For a _moment_?” Dean asks in disbelief, “Dude, you’ve been driving like a moron the whole time I’ve been following you! I almost hit you eight times!”

“And I’m _sorry_ for that. I was, well, _am_ late for a date and I—”

“Sorry doesn’t un-wreck my baby, and I sure as hell don’t care about your date.”

The man bristles in front of him, “Stop interrupting me and let me speak. Do I need to contact the police or can we handle this like adults?”

“I don’t know, are you going to try pushing this back on me and saying it was my fault?” Dean crosses the arm that’s not holding the umbrella over his chest. He knows he’s being a bit petulant, but quite frankly he doesn’t care.

The man rolls his eyes, “Alright, clearly we can’t then. Let me get my phone.”

Ah shit. Speaking of phones, Dean remembers that Castiel called him right before he wrecked. He knows he’s super late now and the man probably isn’t going to stick around, and Dean gets a little sick about that. Castiel went out of his way to make reservations at this restaurant when Charlie told him that Dean liked a good steak, and now he probably thinks that Dean is ignoring him and not coming. He’s never met this guy, but Dean _has_ felt the disappointment of being stood up and no one deserves that.

“Look, wait,” Dean stops the stranger before he steps back out into the rain. “I have somewhere I need to be, so let’s just trade information and get this over with as soon as possible.”

The man nods, “Do you have a pen and paper?”

“Uh, no.” Dean shakes his head.

“Alright, give me a moment.” The man throws his coat back over his head, and Dean swears he sees the guy smirk when Dean flinches from getting sprayed with water droplets. Asshole.

The man jogs back over to his car and Dean turns towards his own, stopping himself from poking out his bottom lip and pouting when he sees the damage to his baby again. It’s nothing he can’t fix—he’s done it before when Sam wrecked her when he was sixteen, and again when he was seventeen (there’s a reason Dean never lets him drive)—but he works so much that it’s going to be hard finding time to do it.

“Okay, here.”

Dean jumps when he sees that the man is right beside him again, “ _Jesus_ , where did you come from?” He’s pretty sure the guy just materialized out of thin air.

The man’s forehead creases in confusion and he cocks his head, pointing over his shoulder. “My car.”

Dean rolls his eyes and shakes his head, breathing out a, “Never mind.” He takes the proffered notepad and pen from the other man, but realizes that he can’t write and hold the umbrella at the same time.

“Um, could you—” Dean holds out the umbrella handle awkwardly.

“Oh, yes of course.” The guy takes the umbrella from Dean, and Dean clicks the pen when his hands are free and brings the notepad up to his face to jot down the man’s information.

“Okay, so you drive a two thousand… I’m gonna say thirteen Toyota Prius C?”

The man nods and gives Dean and impressed look, “You know your cars.”

“I try," Dean shrugs, "License plate number?”

“4NG 3L1”

“Heh, you know that kind of looks like the word ‘angel’ if you squint. Anyway. Your name?”

The man chuckles, “Castiel, C-A-S-T-I-E-L. Last name’s Novak.”

Dean lets out a choked noise and his hand jolts, causing the letter S he was writing to have one too many squiggles. He looks up in disbelief at the man standing in front of him.

No _fucking_ way.

The man shrugs at him, mistaking his reaction, “I know it’s a weird name. It’s actually funny that you mentioned my license plate number looking like the word ‘angel’ because that’s what I’m named after.”

Dean is still staring with his mouth hanging open.

He can’t comprehend that this is happening in real life right now. _This_ is the guy he’s supposed to be on a date with. This is his blind date. This asshole that can’t drive and wrecked his baby. I mean it has to be, right? Dean will eat Sam’s left leg if there is more than one Castiel Novak in the world _. This is actually happening_ , Dean thinks, _and Charlie was totally not lying when she said he was too hot for words._

Castiel raises an eyebrow at him, apparently still thinking Dean is stuck on his name. “Okay, I _know_ it’s weird, but you’re being kind of rude right now.”

“Castiel Novak,” Dean states in disbelief.

The man nods, “That’s me.”

“ _Your_ name is Castiel Novak.”

Castiel rolls his eyes, “Oh for the love of— would you just write it down?”

Dean drops the pen and notepad to his side, still dumbstruck. He looks up and lets out a laugh. “This is not happening.”

“It’s _really_ not that bad.”

Dean laughs again and looks back at Castiel, and Dean notes that he’s slightly taller than the other man. “I’m not judging your name, man. I’m just trying to decide when my life turned into a romantic comedy and why I wasn’t informed of it.”

Castiel cocks his head and squints at Dean. “I don’t follow you.”

Dean laughs again and shakes his head. He transfers his pen and paper into one hand and holds out the other, though he's not really expecting a hand shake. “I’m Dean Winchester.”

Castiel’s eyes widen and his jaw drops, and that’s all the confirmation Dean needs as to if this is his date or not. Clearly, that was the last thing Castiel expected.

“No fucking way.”

Dean throws his head back and laughs, letting his hand drop. “Right?”

“You’re Dean Winchester.”

“That’s me.”

“ _The_ Dean Winchester.”

“Well, I don’t know about _The_ ,” Dean laughs, “but now that you say it it does have a nice ring to it.”

Castiel snorts and shakes his head in disbelief, “This is not happening.”

Dean can’t believe it either. Of all the people this could have happened to, the places it could have been, and the time of day, this is happening to _him_ , right here, right now. He shrugs at Castiel and smiles again, his mood slowly changing with the situation.

“This is a terrible first date. I’m sorry.” 

Castiel laughs, causing Dean to smile wider, “Yeah well, you’re lucky," Castiel gestures to his car, "I usually don’t let people hit me from behind. _Especially_ not on the first date,” he winks back at Dean.

Dean laughs again, blushing at the same time before saying, “Well I’m usually the one who gets hit from behind anyway, so.”

Dean’s eyes widen and he lets out a choked noise when his brain catches up to his mouth. He did not just say that to a complete stranger, especially not one who he’s supposed to be on a date with. He didn’t. Did he? He glances over at Castiel to see that the man's jaw has gone slack and his eyebrows are raised in surprise. _Shit_ , he did. He splutters for a moment before dropping his head and bringing a hand up to cover his face, mentally scanning his surroundings for the nearest hole to crawl into.

“Did you _really_ just say that?” Castiel asks, and Dean can hear the smile in his voice. _Asshole_.

Dean groans and straightens. Sure enough, when he looks back over, Castiel has a full shit-eating grin on his face. Is he allowed to call him an asshole again? It's just inside his head so it really doesn't count right? Right. _Asshole_.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Dean puts a false look of confusion on his face, even though he knows he’s still blushing. “Say what?”

Castiel smiles even wider, and Dean forgets why he's embarrassed for a second because dear _God_ , he is gorgeous. Dean wants to take his hand and smush the guy's face so he doesn't have to look at it. He's supposed to be pissed off right? Dean's baby is sitting ten feet away in pieces because of this guy's driving. _He_ did this. So why is Dean smiling at him? They’re both looking at each other and smiling, and Dean can’t make himself look away. In a matter of minutes, Dean's entire attitude towards this situation has changed and now all he wants to do is kiss the man standing in front of him.

Okay, he wanted to kiss him three minutes ago too. But that wasn’t his first priority.

Castiel licks his lips before he speaks, never looking away, and Dean’s eyes follow the movement. “You know, I was extremely disappointed when you got out of the car.”

O- _kay_ , bring it back. That is not what Dean expected him to say, and he flinches back slightly and frowns before saying, “Wow, way to bring me down, man.”

Castiel laughs and shakes his head, holding up a finger for Dean to wait before he continues, “The reason I was extremely disappointed is because ten minutes before I was supposed to go on a date with a man I’d never even seen before, I was being yelled at by one of the most attractive men I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Dean feels his face heating up again, and he mentally kicks himself for being such a girl. “Oh.”

Castiel takes a step forward and hums. There wasn’t a ton of room under the umbrella to begin with, but now there’s barely any space between them.

“It would have been extremely disappointing to leave here and know for a fact that the man I was about to meet wouldn’t even look half as good as you.”

Dean doesn’t know how to respond to that, so of course he goes for an attempt at humor. “Are you telling me I’m pretty, Cas?”

Castiel’s face doesn’t change. “Immensely.”

Goddamn it, Dean is blushing again and he can’t stop smiling. He turns away slightly and breathes out, “Stop it,” to himself.

“Oh, am I being too forward?” Castiel asks, hearing Dean’s comment to himself and mistaking it as being directed towards him, “I do that sometimes. I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable—”

“No, no,” Dean turns back and hurries to reassure him, not liking the uncertainty that’s appeared in the other man's voice, “That wasn’t a stop it to you, that was a stop it to this,” Dean wiggles his fingers at the blush on his face.

“Oh,” Castiel smiles again, clearly relieved, “Well I think it’s endearing.”

Dean pouts, crossing his arms and making a face, "You're...endearing."

Castiel laughs, but it’s suddenly interrupted by a loud clap of thunder that startles them both, and both men instinctively moved towards one another. A moment later, they realize what happened at the same time, and when they turn their faces towards each other their new proximity causes them both to start laughing.

Dean takes a small step back after a minute of laughing, clearing his throat as he smiles at Castiel, “Maybe we should get out of here.”

Castiel lifts an eyebrow at him and smirks, and Dean belatedly realizes what he said and how it sounded.

“No no, that's—that’s not— I just meant because it’s _wet_ ,” Dean splutters, motioning to the sky, “A-and the lightning and… stuff. _Jesus_.” he brings a hand up to smack his forehead and cover his face. Why can't he talk like a normal human being?

A hand closes around his wrist to pull it away from his face, and Dean glances up at Castiel’s smiling face. “I would love to get out of here,” Castiel says, and Dean relaxes a fraction before he adds, “But only because it’s wet and lightning and stuff, of course.”

Dean groans and blushes, dropping his arm, but Castiel catches his fingers before he can pull away. Dean looks back up to see that the other man is still smiling at him reassuringly.

“Yeah?” Dean asks, smile coming back to his face.

Castiel squeezes Dean’s fingers once before releasing his hand and nods. “Yes. But I think I should drive.”

They both turn to look at their cars, and Dean can’t help but scowl again before turning back to Castiel, “Hell no. Pull that thing off to the side as much as possible and we’ll call someone to come get it. I’m not leaving my baby here.”

“You can’t drive with your bumper like that,” Castiel argues.

Dean shrugs, "I’ve got some tools in the trunk. I’ll take the bumper the rest of the way off and put it in the back.”

“Dean, it’s pouring down rain and you’re wearing a suit.”

Dean rolls his eyes and begins shrugging out of his suit jacket. He hands it to Castiel, who takes it automatically, and Castiel watches with raised eyebrows as Dean undoes his cuffs and begins to roll up his shirtsleeves.

Dean doesn’t miss the small intake of breath that comes from the other man when he rolls up his sleeves, but he doesn’t stop to gauge whether or not it was a good thing or bad thing. His left arm is bare save for Sam’s initials on the inside of his forearm, which is a spitting image of the initials his brother carved into the back of the Impala when he was little, but his right arm is covered from wrist to shoulder in ink. Dean looks over at Castiel when he’s done to see the man staring unabashedly at his arms.

“Charlie did tell you what I do for a living, right?” Dean asks, because surely this guy knows that any self-respecting tattoo artist is going to have tattoos.

“Um,” Castiel licks his lips and looks up at Dean, “She told me you owned your own business.”

Dean scoffs, “Of course that’s all she told you. I’m a tattoo artist, man. I own my own shop. Ever heard of Winchester’s Ink?”

Castiel’s eyes widen, “That’s _yours_?”

Dean beams. Next to his car and his brother, his shop is his pride and joy. “So, you’ve heard of us then?”

Castiel nods, “It’s been recommended every time I ask someone the best place to get a tattoo.”

Dean raises his eyebrows in surprise. He can't see the man before him with tattoos, but he honestly doesn't want to take the time to imagine it because that may cause an inappropriate reaction that should not be happening on a first date. Or whatever the hell this is.

“You want a tattoo?”

“I want another one, yes,” Castiel says, “I’ve had an idea for a while now as to what I want, I just haven’t found the place to get it done.”

“Well,” Dean smiles and holds out his arms, not willing to dwell on the fact that Castiel said _another_ , meaning he's already got at least one somewhere, “Now you know where to come.”

“Indeed I do,” Castiel says slowly, his eyes running over Dean’s body.

Dean feels his face heat under the attention, and he suddenly feels awkward. He rubs the back of his neck with one hand and gestures towards his car with the other, “Okay, I’m gonna go get my tools now.”

Castiel's eyes snap back up to his face, and Dean sees the man's ears turn pink as though he didn't realize he was staring. “Do you need help?”

Dean shrugs, “There’s not much you can do. It’ll take me two seconds to get under there and take the bumper off.”

“Well, if I’m going with you I’m going to need to get some things out of my car. Here,” Castiel goes to hand the umbrella to Dean, but Dean just shakes his head and holds his hands up.

“I don’t need it. A little water never hurt anyone.”

Castiel tries to hand it to him again. “No, it’s yours. I’m not taking it from you.”

Dean backs away from the umbrella and out into the rain before Castiel can stop him, and he clenches his hands into fists and holds them out. “Sorry Cas, my hands are full and I can’t hold anything else.”

“I can already tell you’re a stubborn man, Dean Winchester!” Castiel calls when Dean turns away from him to open his trunk.

Dean smiles and begins getting the tools out that he needs. He finds an old beach towel shoved in the back that he never took out after he and Sam took a mini vacation to the gulf, and he grabs that as well so he at least doesn't have to lay directly on the ground.  He closes the trunk and makes his way to the front of the car, but when he gets there he notices his umbrella leaning up against the front tire.

“And you called _me_ stubborn?” Dean yells over the rain.

Castiel was bent over into the Prius, but he stands when he hears Dean. His dark hair is plastered to his forehead and he smiles. “If you’re getting wet, I’m getting wet!” He calls.

Dean rolls his eyes, “Is that supposed to be the equivalent of 'if you're a bird, I'm a bird?'”

Castiel laughs, “Is that you admitting that you watched the ‘The Notebook’?”

Dean shrugs and sits his tools down, “I read the book too. And I’m man enough to admit that I cried like a baby during each.” And it’s true. Sam was still living with Dean when he had woken up at 4am to find Dean sobbing over the book, and then both of the brothers cried watching the movie. Sam still denies it to this day, but Dean will admit it to anyone. He’s unashamed.

When Castiel doesn’t reply, Dean looks over and sees him staring at him with his head tilted and his eyes calculating like he's trying to figure Dean out. How someone can still look like they just stepped out of a magazine when they’re soaked to the bone is beyond Dean. The guy has taken off his suit-coat, and his white dress shirt is completely soaked through, leaving little to the imagination of what's underneath, and this is _soo_ not the time to notice that, Dean.

“Y’know, you’re gonna drown if you keep your mouth open like that!” Dean calls, even though he knows he was staring just as much as Castiel was.

Castiel laughs, “Yes, I'd hate for you to have to perform CPR on me on the first date. That might ruin the mood more than getting into a car accident.”

“Yeah, I mean if you want me to kiss you, Cas, all you have to do is ask."

Dean means it jokingly, but when Castiel takes a moment to respond he worries that he may have crossed a line. He decides to let that hang in the air and bends over to situate the towel on the ground so he can get under the Impala.  He's still going to get soaked, but at least he won't rip his shirt or anything on the ground.

Dean is fixing to turn back to Castiel and apologize, not liking the sudden silence between them, when Castiel finally says, “So is it too early in the date to ask, or should I wait until the end?”

That wasn’t what Dean was expecting and he makes a choked noise, thankful that he had already put his tools down or he would have dropped them. He straightens and turns back to Castiel with wide eyes, and Castiel confuses his reaction for something negative and winces, bringing a hand up to his neck.

“I’m sorry, I told you I was too forward. Let’s just forget—”

“Ask me.”

“—that I ever even said any— wait _what_?” Castiel’s eyes focus back on Dean and he straightens, “What did you say?”

Dean doesn't know what possessed him to say that, but now that it's out he can't exactly take it back. Well okay, he _could_ , but that doesn't mean he wants to. The man before him is a complete stranger, but there's something about him that makes it feel like Dean's known him for years. He takes a breath of courage and walks over to the Prius, and he doesn't miss the way Castiel's eyes widen as he starts walking over to him.  He stops directly in front of Castiel and matches the man’s stance.

“I said ask me.”

“B-but—” Castiel trips over his words and searches Dean’s eyes for any sign of hesitation or a joke. “Wait, you’re _serious_?”

“Unless you’re not,” Dean checks. He definitely doesn’t want to do anything that Castiel doesn’t want to do, but hell, he wanted to kiss the guy as soon as he saw his face outside his window.

Dean must have said something right though, because he can clearly hear the mental ‘oh fuck it’ that sounds off in Castiel's brain. The dark-haired man takes a step closer and he looks up at Dean with bright blue eyes.

“Dean, can I ask you something?”

Dean takes a step closer as well, and they’re almost chest to chest now. “Yeah what’s up, Cas?”

Castiel blinks once before tilting his head back a fraction of an inch to look up at Dean. “You know, no one has ever called me Cas before.”

Oh. Awkward. Dean didn’t even realize he had done that, but now that he thinks about it he’s already used the name a few times now. He doesn’t usually give nicknames to people unless they’re family, and here he is giving one to a man he just met minutes ago. _Way to kill the mood, Winchester._

“Shit, sorry. I didn’t even—”

Castiel holds up a hand and shushes him, “I like it, I was just saying. Now hush and let me ask my question.”

Dean snorts, and he’s almost positive that his face is going to get stuck in a permanent smile if he doesn’t stop soon. He nods his head and makes a gesture towards Castiel. 

“Ask away.”

Castiel nods, suddenly serious again, though Dean can see the smile in his eyes.

"Dean," he says, low and gravely.

"Cas," Dean says, trying to mimic the low timbre of Cas’ voice.

Castiel snorts, losing his composure for a fraction of a second before regaining control and trying again.

" _Dean_."

"Oh my _God_ , Castiel, just come here."

Dean grabs Castiel's tie, pulling the other man to him, and Castiel immediately wraps his arms around Dean's neck. They're both smiling when their lips meet—ignoring the sound of car horns that must be onlookers from the traffic not thirty feet away from them—and Dean wraps his arms around Castiel's waist to pull him even closer. It's perfect, in every sense of the word. Castiel's hands are softly pulling through the hair at the base of Dean's neck and Dean's thumbs are tracing circles on Castiel's lower back. Of course, that's when Dean realizes that they're literally _kissing in the rain_ and he has to pull back because he starts laughing.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry," Dean buries his face in Castiel's shoulder, trying his best to control the sudden onslaught of giggles.

"Wow, I mean I know it's been a while, but am I really that bad?" Castiel asks, and though Dean can hear the smile in his voice, he can still hear the confusion as well.

"No, _no_ ," Dean lifts his head up and puts his forehead to Castiel's, but not before leaning in again and putting a quick kiss to his lips, "Dude, we're _kissing in the rain_. Next thing I know, you'll be building me my dream house and I'll be cheating on my fiancé with you while my mother disapproves."

Castiel leans his head back and laughs, and Dean wants to bottle up that sound so he can hear it every time he's having a bad day. "You really are a fan of The Notebook, aren't you?"

"Hey, I don't joke. Nicholas Sparks is a genius."

Castiel laughs again, but when he stops he looks at Dean like he's just seeing him for the first time, which isn’t too far from the truth considering they haven’t known each other for an hour. Dean watches as Castiel's eyes grow fonder, and he gives Dean a soft smile before he speaks again.

 "Dean, I want you to know something. It's going to be forward of me, but I don't think I'm going to be able to keep this from you."

Dean’s stomach turns with nerves, but he groans, "Shit, you're a serial killer aren't you?"

Castiel gasps dramatically, letting one hand fall from around Dean's shoulders and rest over his heart in mock-surprise. "Who told you?"

It's Dean's turn to laugh, and he tightens his arms around Castiel's waist as the other man beams at him. "Some things you just know, man."

Castiel shakes his head, "I'm never going to be able to get you to take things seriously, am I?"

Dean shrugs, "That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"On if you're willing to stick around to see the serious side of me," Dean smiles.

"Which brings me back to what I'm attempting to tell you," Castiel points out, giving Dean a look that's clearly telling him to stop talking.

Dean closes his mouth, and he bites his lip to stop himself from smiling. He should be miserable right now, considering there's not a dry spot on him and he has to figure out when and how he's going to fix his car, but he finds that he's incredibly happy. Leave it to Dean Winchester to be happy in the arms of a complete stranger while on the side of the road after a car accident.

"That's better," Castiel nods, and he leans up to kiss Dean when Dean makes a face.

Dean all but melts when Castiel kisses him. It's the first time the other man has taken initiative, and it makes Dean feel, well, _good_. Wanted. How is it that he hasn't even known this guy for an hour, yet he's already turning into putty in the man's hands? Dean's not sure what to think of it. Castiel pulls back and smiles at the look of contentment on Dean's face before leaning in and kissing the tip of his nose once.

"I don't know what it is about you, Dean, but I want you to know that I can see myself falling for you faster than I probably should."

Dean lets out a small, involuntary gasp at Castiel's words. He wasn't expecting Castiel to say something that serious, and it catches him by surprise. So he's not the only one feeling this weird connection then, that's good to know, but what is he supposed to do with this information? What does he say to that? _Thanks? Me too? Samesies?_

"Um—"

Castiel shakes his head and puts a hand on Dean's chest, "You don't have to respond to that in any way. I just wanted to let you know, so you're prepared."

But Dean wants to say something. Why isn't he saying anything? Cas told him he doesn't have to respond, but that doesn't feel right. He _needs_ to say something. _Right now, Dean._

"No, I—," Dean trips over his words because he's _literally_ a high school girl with a crush, "I can too. See that, I mean."

Castiel smiles warmly at Dean, "Really?"

Dean nods and shrugs, "I don't forgive anyone this easily for wrecking my car. My little brother is 30, and I still give him shit for wrecking her when he was a teenager. You're, I dunno, special or something."

"Special or something," Castiel deadpans and then smirks, "I guess I'll take that."

 _Great, let's offend the guy while trying to compliment him, Dean. You're doing a_ great _job._

"Wait, no. That's not what I—"

"Dean," Castiel puts a hand on his arm, "You're going to give yourself a hernia. Calm down."

Dean takes a deep breath. "Sorry, man. I'm really terrible with words."

"I'm starting to notice that," Castiel smiles.

Dean rolls his eyes, "Asshole."

Castiel's jaw drops, but Dean can see the smile he's trying to hold back. He pushes Dean away from him and turns back to his car. "Go take your bumper off so you can take me home."

"Aw, Cas come on," Dean playfully tries to grab at Castiel's elbow and turn him back around, "I didn't _mean_ it."

Castiel laughs but keeps his head turned away from Dean. He shakes his elbow out of Dean's grip and throws a hand out to point a finger in the direction of Dean's car.

"Go."

Dean touches his index finger to the one Castiel has pointed out.

"E.T. phone home."

" _Dean_ ," Castiel laughs, and finally turns around to face Dean.

As soon as he's turned around, Dean invades Castiel's personal space and kisses him one last time. Castiel lets out a surprised sound, but kisses Dean back immediately. Dean smiles into the kiss before pulling back and walking backwards to his car. "I'll be done in two minutes."

"Hurry up."

Dean does, rushing back to his car and situating himself underneath. He's got the bumper off within minutes, and when he scoots out from beneath his car Castiel is there, but he's not looking at Dean's face. Dean follows the man's gaze down and sees that his dress shirt is stuck to the front of him after laying down on the ground. The rest of his tattoos he has on his torso are clearly visible through his wet shirt, and Dean looks up again just in time to see Castiel bite his bottom lip. Dean preens slightly under the attention, his tattoos are something that he thoroughly enjoys showing off, but it may not be entirely appropriate to do so right now.

Dean clears his throat and plucks at the material so it's not sticking to him anymore and stands so he's facing the other man. "You ready?"

Castiel keeps his gaze focused on Dean's torso for another second before looking up, "Hm? Oh, yes. Are you taking me home?"

"If that's what you want, man."

Dean leans down to pick up his bumper, and Castiel rushes to grab one side of it, and together they get it loaded into the back of the Impala.

"Shit, we're going to drip all over the upholstery," Dean groans, taking in both of their waterlogged suits.

Castiel looks down as well and shrugs, "Well, we could always just get naked before we get in."

Dean's stomach flips at the mental image of Castiel naked, but he rolls his eyes at the other man. "Yeah, because _that_ will go over well. 'Sir, can you please tell me why you're driving naked?' 'I'm sorry Officer, I got wet after wrecking my car into my date here and we decided to get naked.' Yeah, no thanks."

“Oh, come on,” Castiel says, “You don’t want to live a little?”

“In the past hour I have wrecked my car and kissed a complete stranger. I think I’ve lived enough for today.

Castiel laughs as he open the door and gets in, “Suit yourself.”

Dean circles around the car and gets in as well. When he situates himself and gets as comfortable as he can in his wet clothes, he looks over to find Castiel staring at him.

“What?”

Castiel shakes his head, causing water droplets to drip down his face from his hair. “This whole thing is just surreal, that’s all.”

Dean snorts as he turns the car on and maneuvers back onto the freeway. “You’re telling me. We should contact Nicholas Sparks and make him write a book about us.”

Castiel throws his head back and laughs, and Dean smiles.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> come visit me [here](http://destihellion.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!


End file.
